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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. object — to protest
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — a thing
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. object — an aim
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com